How to love your fragrances

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and talk about the philosophy behind what I find to increase my love for the fragrances that I have. I don't know if anybody has "done" this before, or if anybody cares to agree, but if you have something to add about what you find helps increase your appreciation for beautiful scents, please chip in!

The first and foremost thing is to acknowledge your tastes; all of our noses differentiate in unpredictable manners as our progression of understanding ascends to new phases, and tolerance of uncertainty in your choices ultimately leads to acceptance of imperfection; that is, no one scent is suitable to wear all day, every day, and in any given situation -- we begin to break fragrances down into very large categories; namely, seasonal. There are winter, spring, summer, and fall scents, but what about summer night-time excursions in a beautiful downtown setting, with a newly found girl you're getting to know? Surely all of you who have been in this situation know that this particular scent may work well in that particular setting, but does not fare so boldly during the winter, or in indoor settings.

Therefore, we must excuse any and all notions that one scent is "better" than another; and we must come to understand that in order to properly love a fragrance, the one necessary factor is expansion of scents that are in the same family, but different in style. A yin and yang, so to say, of fragrances that encompass an idea, a feeling; a specific place or time, but approach it differently -- infinite in quantity and possibility; our choices are not limited to two contrasting choices; rather, each attempt at a scent instills a contribution to our lives, which, most of the time, we sadly choose to forgo on the premise that we've already found a fragrance "similar enough" to it that can be worn in those circumstances.

The amplification of beauty is present only through the guidance of alternative; how else is appreciation stumbled upon? We do not smell Cool Water and think "Green Irish Tweed" unless we have indeed smelled Green Irish Tweed before; thusly, how can we discern beauty between two fragrances, if our mindset is influenced by a present social judgment? I would never wear Lime Aoud on a first date, but I would wear it on an anniversary -- so what's changed, besides the circumstances we put ourselves in?

Consequently, each scent must have a significant other; a body of fragrance related, but different enough so that it functions outside of the limits of the first: only when we can estimate this transition, do we really understand how a fragrance can be used; and that, ultimately, enhances its beauty and attractiveness.

I can offer two personal examples: one is my bottle of Hugh Parsons, which sits in my closet, waiting for a new home. It is a phenomenal scent; a magnificent treat to the olfactory senses, but it lacks a soul mate in my wardrobe. It is the only one of its kind that sits; and therefore I become bored of it, because whenever I wish to wear something similar to it, guess what I wear? It destroys the magic, and ruins the scent, because it is worn so often when it should not be. Stretching the potential of a scent decreases its appeal, and results in a bland, generic feel to it.

The second example I offer is my buff trio of Un Jardin sur le Nil, Double Black, and Nightflight. They're all great scents; but they would end up like Hugh Parsons (Nightflight almost did; for a period of two months I despised it, and only wore it when I was getting sick of other colognes... dark days for it ) had they been without each other. They all excel in areas the other cannot; and overlap in the sense that they match my personality and what I look for in a fragrance; but their differences, added together, span an entire spectrum of particular places, times, and situations where I would need one. Alone, like any fragrance, these beautiful scents would crumble; but together, they are rock solid.

Re: How to love your fragrances

I honestly couldn't agree more. And this is the idea of a wardrobe, totally... I have to say, I would never choose Polo Black on its own... but I sometimes, though I own some very fine fragrances, crave that mango/cilantro freshness... I CRAVE it (that's what the tester is for)... It's the sweet/salty philosophy but in fragrance... eat enough ice cream and eventually one will tire of it, craving something salty like chips, pizza, etc... I wear enough citrus and suddenly I need M7 or something woody... too much vanilla and I crave something dry and light...

Nice post

It's getting to the crazy point though for me haha... Sometimes I wear completely opposite fragrances just to go back and forth (usually only when I'm sitting around at home)

Re: How to love your fragrances

It is an amazing and beautiful thing that fragrance (much like clothing) can improve and amplify ones sense of being. Saying such I mean that when I get dressed up and go out, I'm not dressing up for anyone else, though, I am feeling much better about myself and enjoying what I have dressed myself up in, It makes me feel good. Fragrance does the same for me, though I do not always match my fragrant choice to my sartorial choice of the day.

As far as I am concerned, wear whatever you would like to, regardless of situation, so long as you feel good about what you've put on.

Re: How to love your fragrances

Leifer,
I had never really considered that my enjoyment of fragrances might be enhanced by, or be dependent on, a symbiotic relationship between them. Of course, it didn't take long for me to hone in on notes and styles that I preferred, and through trial and error to determine which situations were most appropriate in which to wear them. But to consider that fragrances in my collection would depend on another is novel. I'll have to think about this a bit more before I jump on board with it, but it's an intriguing concept, for sure.

And thank you, thank you for posting this topic! Its a refreshing respite from the increasingly strident requests-for-advice posts.

Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts. Daniel Moynihan

Re: How to love your fragrances

Love is just a game... Mouline Rouge... Habit Rouge, I want some of that.
Anyway so what you are saying is that in order to trully apreciate a fragrance I must own a fragrance that is very simillar to it?Why?
I have Terre DHermes and Signoricci. I do not need one to appreciate the other as both are good by themselves. If i have something good but I find something better, I move on. Why would I look back to Eau Sauvage or YSL PH? the value of each subsequent fragrance is just going to decrease as the number of similar fragrances increase. Economy 101. I do not believe that you need to be aware of the differences between CW and GIT to appreciate (or yawn at) either one. There are better scents, if not in absolute sense in a subjective, personal scale.

I have Habit R. The closest thing to it is perhaps Rive Gauche. I do not need anything similar to it right now.

Re: How to love your fragrances

I too will have to consider this more. With your logic and writing skills, you could make a hell of a pro-polygamy/polyamory argument. I pity your current or future girlfriends.

Haha, girlfriends in the plural sense is right!

But the love I speak of for your fragrances is different than your significant other; I believe that love for another human being demands devotion; not to prove a point or to be able to "exist"; rather, to showcase the fact that humans indeed can willingly and wholeheartedly achieve great things.

As for fragrances; you cannot truly know why you possess an insatiable love for it until you realize what sets it apart from the things you strongly like, hate, or anything in between. There is no easy way to go about this, but I find that it helps to surround yourself in fragrances that will help you achieve this.

With that being said; it is understandable to argue that we cannot love fragrances in the same way, but who is to say we cannot love them equally?

Re: How to love your fragrances

Very insightful and deep.
I think your post pretty much applies to clothes as well. Read again and try to think of clothes (or, to try and generalize, any element of personal style) instead of fragrances. It will work most of the time.
I have yet to reach your state of fragrance love, but great post nonetheless.

Re: How to love your fragrances

Originally Posted by Leifer

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and talk about the philosophy behind what I find to increase my love for the fragrances that I have. I don't know if anybody has "done" this before, or if anybody cares to agree, but if you have something to add about what you find helps increase your appreciation for beautiful scents, please chip in!

The first and foremost thing is to acknowledge your tastes; all of our noses differentiate in unpredictable manners as our progression of understanding ascends to new phases, and tolerance of uncertainty in your choices ultimately leads to acceptance of imperfection; that is, no one scent is suitable to wear all day, every day, and in any given situation -- we begin to break fragrances down into very large categories; namely, seasonal. There are winter, spring, summer, and fall scents, but what about summer night-time excursions in a beautiful downtown setting, with a newly found girl you're getting to know? Surely all of you who have been in this situation know that this particular scent may work well in that particular setting, but does not fare so boldly during the winter, or in indoor settings.

Therefore, we must excuse any and all notions that one scent is "better" than another; and we must come to understand that in order to properly love a fragrance, the one necessary factor is expansion of scents that are in the same family, but different in style. A yin and yang, so to say, of fragrances that encompass an idea, a feeling; a specific place or time, but approach it differently -- infinite in quantity and possibility; our choices are not limited to two contrasting choices; rather, each attempt at a scent instills a contribution to our lives, which, most of the time, we sadly choose to forgo on the premise that we've already found a fragrance "similar enough" to it that can be worn in those circumstances.

The amplification of beauty is present only through the guidance of alternative; how else is appreciation stumbled upon? We do not smell Cool Water and think "Green Irish Tweed" unless we have indeed smelled Green Irish Tweed before; thusly, how can we discern beauty between two fragrances, if our mindset is influenced by a present social judgment? I would never wear Lime Aoud on a first date, but I would wear it on an anniversary -- so what's changed, besides the circumstances we put ourselves in?

Consequently, each scent must have a significant other; a body of fragrance related, but different enough so that it functions outside of the limits of the first: only when we can estimate this transition, do we really understand how a fragrance can be used; and that, ultimately, enhances its beauty and attractiveness.

I can offer two personal examples: one is my bottle of Hugh Parsons, which sits in my closet, waiting for a new home. It is a phenomenal scent; a magnificent treat to the olfactory senses, but it lacks a soul mate in my wardrobe. It is the only one of its kind that sits; and therefore I become bored of it, because whenever I wish to wear something similar to it, guess what I wear? It destroys the magic, and ruins the scent, because it is worn so often when it should not be. Stretching the potential of a scent decreases its appeal, and results in a bland, generic feel to it.

The second example I offer is my buff trio of Un Jardin sur le Nil, Double Black, and Nightflight. They're all great scents; but they would end up like Hugh Parsons (Nightflight almost did; for a period of two months I despised it, and only wore it when I was getting sick of other colognes... dark days for it ) had they been without each other. They all excel in areas the other cannot; and overlap in the sense that they match my personality and what I look for in a fragrance; but their differences, added together, span an entire spectrum of particular places, times, and situations where I would need one. Alone, like any fragrance, these beautiful scents would crumble; but together, they are rock solid.

Great idea for a post and very well done.

You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't wipe your friends under the couch.